Hillier sits out leadership convention, is cleared by investigation

Jeff Green | Mar 14, 2018

MPP Randy Hillier might owe his 4 year old grandson a day at an amusement park.

When asked if he had attended his party’s leadership convention on Saturday, Hillier said he had a previous commitment, his grandson’s 4th birthday party. By staying home he missed what turned out to be a fruitless 8 hour wait in a soul less Mississauga Convention Centre, only to hear that the result would not be announced and the room had to be cleared. A couple of hours later, in a small backroom, Doug Ford was presented as the new party leader. Christine Elliott, the candidate that Hillier had backed, was not in the room. In fact she did not concede the contest until the following day.

The day before the convention, PC party communications director, Nick Bergamini, announced that a third party inquiry into an incident between MPP Hillier and PC candidate Goldie Ghamari (Carleton riding) had been completed.

“The PC Party has concluded the investigation into allegations between a candidate and sitting caucus member, and determined no further actions are warranted,” Bergamini said in a written statement.

Nonetheless keeping a few hundred kilometres between himself and Ghamari was another fringe benefit of staying in Perth on Saturday.

Ghamari twice accused Hillier of intimidation after they had an exchange outside the party policy convention in Ottawa two years ago, once later that summer and again this past January. This is the second investigation, and each resulted in the party deciding to take no further action.

One thing that Hillier and Ghamari did share was disappointment over the outcome of the leadership campaign. Ghamari had supported Caroline Mulroney, from the progressive wing of the party, who was a distant third in the first ballot polling only marginally better than Tanya Granic Allen who ran a single issue campaign, the repeal of the sex-education curriculum in Ontario schools. Christine Elliott, who was hosted by Hillier at a rally in Smiths Falls early in the campaign, received the majority of the vote and won support in the most ridings but was defeated due to the way points were distributed in the party’s election system.

Nonetheless by Sunday night both Hillier and Ghamari were singing the praises of their new leader on Twitter. On Monday, Hillier was in his office in Perth.

“Doug Ford is a great leader. Clearly, he resonates throughout the province. One of the underlying faults of our party was getting traction in Toronto. He resonates there with his message and his style” Hillier said.

When it was pointed out that the party, and Hillier, expressed support for leader Patrick Brown until late in January and then many in the party, and Hillier in particular, turned on Brown completely. Hillier said it was a different case.

“I knew there were problems with Patrick Brown, but until there was proof nothing could be said. Doug Ford has been in the public eye for years. If there is anything on him, we would have already heard it,” he said.

For now, at least, the party that exposed its inner turmoil repeatedly over the last two months, is presenting a united front with an election campaign looming.